The Mermaid Tale "If I Could Stand"

Two Of A Kind

Chapter Three

I kept myself steady on the rock. I breathed in the human air a couple more times before I knew it was time to go back under the water. A mermaid could only breathe for about ten minutes before she could stand the air any longer. I jump back into the sea and I feel hands graze my shoulders.I squint my eyes and I see a figure. I was startled and afraid of what or who it could be. Was it a human? The arms gripped me tightly and I jumped trying to pull away but it was strong. It was almost like it was in danger and needed help. Momentarily, after struggling with the being for several minutes I dragged both of us to the surface. The water splashed in the air and who I saw amazed me.We both looked at each other in shock. I couldn't believe my eyes! It was another mermaid. She had Raven black hair and light blue eyes. What was she doing here?
"Sorry....I thought you were a human."She says smiling.
"It's alright. Who are you?"
"I am Andrina." She says giggling.
I was so confused at what was happening here. Why was there another mermaid in this cursed place? I believed that no other sea creature would dwell here anymore, but me.
"Why are you here? You were not here yesterday."
"Well, that's because I moved from my other mermaid home."She says jokingly.
She seemed weird and she always laughed. She acted like a drunk mermaid, and that made her to me seem like trouble.
"Where was your other mermaid home?"
She looked at me with her eyes twinkling impishly. I waited for an answer, but I had the feeling it would be something out of the norm.
"Before I answer that what is your name?"
I hadn't thought of my name for along time. I had not even said my name. I've been cursed for so long and all alone that I hadn't had a chance to say it.
"Anastasia."I blurted out.
She looked taken aback, but then smiled again.
"Well Anastasia, why are you here?"
"I asked you a question first."
"I know and you'll get the answer once you answer mine."
I roll my eyes and quickly glance at the building to see if any students from there saw me, but I saw no one.
"I was cursed by my father."
She turns her head quickly at me in awe.
"Why were you cursed?!" She asks in sudden worry.
I didn't understand her. Why did she care about me? Why was she here? It was all so sudden and weird.
"Well, I guess I didn't follow the commandments of being a mermaid." I sigh.
"What commandments?"
"You know...don't disrespect merman and stuff."
She laughs out loud at this and I look back at the school to see if anyone heard her.
"Shhh you have to quiet down! That's a school with many humans and they might hear you."
"Well I know what it's like to be human."
My eyes shot right up at her in shock. How was she a human?! She confused me every time she spoke.
"When were you a human?"
"Before I came here..." She says smiling.
"That's not true is it?"
She gives me sorry eyes and laughs.
"No, it's true. It sucks too."
"It looks splendid to me."
"You wouldn't know. You've been in this mess for years. You don't know what it's like to be them, but I do."
"Well, I always wanted to be a human."
"Then become one."
"How?!"
She shrugs and dives back under the water. I turn and look at the school and the bell rings. I swim under the water to avoid human contact. I look around and I see no sign of Andrina. I was eager for her to tell me more about becoming human. I swam over to my giant sea shell mirror. It was a little light in the area I had placed it because the sun shined right over it. I looked into, and imagined what it would like if I had legs.
All I saw was light red hair and tanned skin. I was no human. I was a fish. I sighed and swam away from my sea shell and looked for the mysterious mermaid again. I was desperate for company, and seeing one of my own made me feel safer despite the awkwardness.
"Andrina? Where did you go?" I say aloud.
I travel farther to the lower region of the sea. There, I see the water changing color. It was becoming lighter. This took me by surprise. What could cause it? I held my breath just incase it was poison, but I saw Andrina resting peacefully on a large stone playing with this strange instrument. It had long strings and the melody was elegant.
"What is that?" I ask.
She looks up to me with her eyes still closed.
"Music."
"No, I mean what are you holding."
"Well this my dear is a harp."
I look at her confused. I've never seen a instrument that looked like it before. The sea instruments were sea shells with sea weed strings. I'm guessing it was a human device.
"I've never heard of it."
I swim over to her and rest on the stone. She plays a couple notes and I see the water lighten up again.
"Well this maybe your path to a lighter world Anastasia." She says smiling.
"If I'm understanding you correctly...are you saying that this instrument could lift the curse of the sea?"
She laughs wildly and slaps her fin on the stone. My shoulders slump at the amusement. I was seriously trying to find ways to live in a better world or get out of this horrible one. Nothing was funny.
"Don't get too far in your imagination. You probably don't know this, but music is a wonderful way to uplift the darkness that lives inside of you and in here." She says looking around the dark surrounding,
"Yes, but I have never seen that instrument before."
"That's simply because it's not a sea instrument. It's from up there." She says pointing to the surface.
She had to be some sort of sea witch. How could she play a human instrument underwater!?
"That sounds weird. Humans can't play that in the water."
"This is no normal harp. This is a magical instrument from the great Ale Sapien!"
Of course. Witchcraft.
"Who is he?"
"You cannot be serious! You do not know of the ocean's greatest sea monster and King."
"No, I'm sorry and what do you mean by monster?"
She giggles mischievously while putting the harp down.
"Many years ago, Ale was taken by an unknown black mist. He was strapped to a ring table and he was transformed into a hideous creature." She says smiling.
Why was she so happy about this?
"I don't want to sound rude or anything, but that sounds made up."
She laughs loudly and slaps her fin on the stone once again shaking me as I bop to the rhythm of laughter. I cringed at her awkwardness.
"In order to become a human is to make a bet with the sea devil. It's simple. Just shake hands and poof you got some legs."
The sudden response confused me. Andrina seemed to have random ideas come out of her head. I wasn't sure if I could trust her, but this is all I wanted. Just to leave the sea.
"Where is the sea devil?" I ask widening my eyes.
"It's not that easy. You cannot just find the sea devil. Before you even think about looking for any of them you must think of your plans. I did."
"Well if you made a bet to be human why aren't you now?"
She smiles but steps off the stone and for moment her tail fin is normal, but it automatically turns into slender human legs. I gasp and choke on the water I breathe. She laughs and her legs turn back to a regular tail fin.
"How did you d-o tha-t?" I ask admiringly.
"I will tell you. First you must think of what the sea devil will want, and then you must find something to live for. The sea devil watches your movements as a human in an hourglass. It's the biggest hourglass in the world. They tell you that you must find something to make yourself worthy of being human. If you want to be famous become an actress or if you like court become a lawyer. You cannot afford to disappoint them or bad things can happen."
"Like what??"
"I can't tell you that. I'm watched you know....it's almost like a secret society but underwater."
I had no idea what an actress or lawyer was, but she had human experience so I supposed she did.
  There was a couple seconds of silence but from the surface we heard voices. Human voices.
"Oh look humans..." She says smiling.
I look up at the surface and I see the boy from yesterday looking in the water as if he's looking for something. I saw him look at me yesterday, but I wasn't exactly sure if he saw me.
"Well isn't he just a perfect looking human boy."Andrina says smiling.
"Yeah..." I say awkwardly.
"I will help you become a human, but cannot speak to any other living thing out this water, but to me about it."
My heart starts to thump and happiness fills my soul.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I yell throwing my hands over her.
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's all good."
I was going to be human! Soon enough I would be able to escape the water. No more fins and more sea shells. Best of all no more awful and drowning memories.